Gas-generator.



L. VAN VLIET & F. ONEIL.

'GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION II LED 00124, 1912.

Patented Apr 28, 1914;

% Fl lil h GAS-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2%,

Application filed Gc-tober 24, 1912. Serial No. 727,603.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Lnvr VAN VLInr ant FRANK ONnin, both citizens of the United States, residing at Pomona, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas-Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gas generators for use in furnaces and fire-boxes of different kinds, among which may be mentioned the lire-boxes of ordinary cooking and heating stoves, ranges and the like, and in particular discloses certain improvements on the invention made by said Levi Van Vliet and described in Letters Patent No. 937,311, for a gas generator.

An object of this invention is to minimize the leakage of high pressure gas from the retort, and to this end we construct our retort, wherever possible, with brazed joints rather than screwed joints.

Another object is to provide an efficient heat-conducting retort which can be brought to the generating temperature and started in minimum time. To this end our retort is constructed of any thin strong metallic pipe, preferably steel boiler tubing, and formed with flat inscribed faces on the side adjacent the generating pan.

Another object is to utilize any surplus heat in the auxiliary heating flame, and to that end we provide deflecting means at the ends of the retort which direct the surplus heattoward the body to be heated by said generator.

Another object is to provide suitable means for mounting the generator whereby the direction of the primary heating flame may be easily changed toward difierent parts as desired.

Another object is to provide gas regulating means for the primary heating jets whereby the flame issuing therefrom may be completely extinguished or adjusted to suit the convenience of the operator. With this regulating means the generator may be adjusted for various conditions of service giving a smokeless flame at all times.

lhe accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section, and showing the position of the gas regulating means. Fig. 2 is a transverse section along the broken line av of Fig. 1 and shows the details of the gas regulating valve, retort chamber, and heating pan. Fig. 3 shows another form of jet cap with which our generator may be equipped if desired.

1 is a cylindrical generating retort made preferably of thin steel boiler tubing, and provided at its ends with screw-threads 2 adapted to engage threads on the flanged caps 3 and 4: closing the ends of the retort. These caps are constructed with the supporting and flame deflecting flanges 5 merging into the circular fillet 6 on the inner face and into the cylindrical supporting shoulder 7 on the outer face. Below, and supporting the generating retort, is the generator pan 8 having ends 9 provided with the circular seats 10. The retort is revolu bly supported on the pan by loosely seating the cylindrical shoulders 7 on the circular seat 10, the flanges 5 lying within the ends and supporting the retort against longitudinal motion along the pan. This advantageous mounting will permit revolution of the retort for a purpose indicated below.

At its lower perimeter and adjacent the generator pan 8, the retort 1 is provided with the inscribed fiat faces 11 preferably planed onto the circular tube for the limited distance 12 to 13 in Fig. 1. Ihe metal of the retort is thereby thinned at the faces, and provides very rapid heat conduction from the starting flame kindled in pan 8, to the interior of retort.

The gas-dome 1 1 is bra-zed into the upper perimeter of retort 1 and is provided with the downwardly projecting auxiliary heating jets 15 directed onto and along the retort. On the upper screw-threaded extremity 16 of this gas-dome is screwed the valved jet-dome generally indicated by the reference numeral 17, and comprising in the main the needle valve 18, packed valve rod 18, the valve seat 19 and the jet-dome proper 20, provided with any suitable num ber of gas jets 21. in order that the valve seat 19 may be properly machined, we provide bushing 22, the same being externally threaded to engage the valve casing 23, and internally threaded to receive the adjusting thread 2 1 on the valve stem 18'. To the threaded extremity of the bushing 22 is screwed the packing cap 26 containing the usual packing 27 surrounding the smoothed cylindrical packing face 28 of the valve stem, space 29 representing the packing clearance for the cap. The jet-dome 2G is shown provided with three jets 21, this number being found most suitable in practice, but it is understood that any other preferred number may be used without dep rting from the spirit of our invention herein disclosed.

To supply oil to the retort it is led from the general supply pipe 30 through controlling valve 31 and pipe into the threaded anerture in cap To supply oil to the go rating pan, a branch pipe is connected to the main supply pipe -30 and conducts oil through the controlling valve and pipe into the generating pan 8.

in us ng our improved gei'ierator the controlling valve 35 is o erated to permit a suit able amount of oil to flow into the generating pan. After igniting this oil its start ing or generating flame surrounds the retort 1 and impinges directly onto flat faces 11, preheating the retort preparatory to admis sion of oil to the same through the pipe 32. usii steel, the retort may be constructed cl minimum thickness, and by planif j the faces 11 into its lower perimeter the thickness is still further reduced at the critical point adjacent the generating flame. lVith these provisions the heat from the generating flame is conducted more rapidly to the inner face of the retort and will more rapidly raise its temperature sufficiently l iigh to properly vaporize oil fed to it through pipe lVith these improvements our r tort is heated and ready for action in two minutes, whereas three and one-half minutes is the period required with the usual forms of wrought iron retort. The temperature having been properly raised valve 31 is operated to admit slight continuous flow of oi onto the hot inner face of the retort. Til his oil being immediately vaporized issues in the form of from jets l5 and 21, the valve 19 bein open. This gas is lighted and the flames from jets 15 will play continuously onto and along the retort holding it at a high vaporizing temperature even after the irting flame from the generating pan is extinguished while the primary flames issuing from jets 21 provide most of the available heat and. may be directed against the face of a stove, firebox or other surface desired. To properly aline the primary flame onto the exact point to be heated, the valve wheel (a and the extended valve rod 18 are used as a handle to rotate the retort on seat 10 of the generating pan until jets 521. have the correct elevation for directing their flame to the point desired. During operation. the pressure of the vaporized gas in the ctort is considerable, and with the old forms of gas-dome affixed to the retort by a screw connection it is difficult to avoid leakage of the pastthe threaded joints. in our improved construction, however, the gasdome l lis brazed onto the retort and all such difficulty is avoided. Tie flame issuing from the auxiliary heating jets 15 is often more than sufficient to heat the retort and after passing along the full length of same this surplus is deflected by rounded fillets 6 and upright flanges 5 along dotted line 38 toward any surface which it is desired to heat.

in the old construction the primary flame from jets 21 and the auxiliary flame from jets 15 were all simultaneously adjusted at the main oil supply valve 31. When it happened that a small amount of heat only was required, the flames from all jets were simultaneously and proportionately reduced to a point where annoyance was frequently encountered due to the smoky and the sooty character assumed by the small flame. To obviate this difficulty and make the flame adjustmen t more flexible and satisfactory, our improved construction is provided with a needle valve 18 whereby the flame from the primary heating jets may be adjusted or extinguished independent of the auxiliary heating flames which continue with good volume and pressure regulated only by the oil valve 31. When the primary flame from. the jets 21 is reduced so low that it smokes, the same is extinguished and the deflected surplus heat of the auxiliary flames is utilized to do the little heating required at this time. By this means it will be seen that between the main valve 31 and the needle valve 19, flexibility of adjustment and flame control is secured which insures combustion free of all smoke at every point in the adjustment. Our generator is also supplied with the usual et-dome 39 shown in Fig. 3, which may be screwed onto gas-dome l t in place of the valved jet-dome 1? shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the former being used at the option of the operator when no delicate adjustment is to be made.

We claim 1. A gas generator comprising an elongated retort, jets communicating with said retort and directed onto and along the same, and flanged caps at the ends of said retort for deflecting the flame produced by said jets from said retort.

2. A. gas generator comprising an elongated tubular retort, a gas dome on the re tort, jets mounted on said dome and directed onto the retort, caps on the ends of said retort and provided with flanges for defleeting the flame issuing from said jets, and means for feeding oil to the retort.

3. A gas generator comprising an elongated. tubular retort, ets mounted above and directed onto the retort, caps closing the ends of the tubular retort, said caps being provided with flame deflecting flanges, a generating pan below the retort and adapted to coiiperate with the flanged caps to revolubly support the retort, and means for feed ing oil to the retort.

4. A gas generator comprising a thin elongated cylindrical retort the circumference being provided at one side with flat faces serving to thin the metal at that side, a generating pan adjacent the said flat faces, and means for feeding oil to the retort.

5. A gas generator comprising a thin elongated cylindrical retort, a gas-dome on same, jets mounted on said dome and directed onto the retort, a generating pan for the retort, and flat faces on the retort ad acent the generating pan.

6. A gas generator comprising a tubular retort, jets communicating with said retort and directed onto and along same, flanged caps at the ends of said retort, the flanges serving to deflect the flame of the aforesaid jets, a gas regulating valve, and jets communicating with the retort through said valve.

7. A gas generator comprising a tubular retort, jets communicating with said retort and directed onto and along same, flanged caps at the ends of said retort the flanges serving to deflect the flame of the aforesaid jets, a gas regulating valve, jets communicating with the retort through the said valve, and valved means for feeding oil to the retort.

S. A gas generator comprising a tubular retort a gas-dome mounted on same, jets mounted on said dome and directed onto the retort, a cap mounted on said dome, the said cap being provided with gas jets, and a valve for regulating the amount of gas fed to the last said jets from the gas-dome, caps on the end of said retort, the caps having flame deflecting flanges.

9. A gas generator comprising a horizontal tubular retort revolubly mounted, a gasdome radially mounted on the retort, ets on said dome directed along and onto the said retort, a needle valve mounted on said dome, the valve having a horizontal valve rod and port running perpendicular to the tubular retort, and gas jets communicating with the retort through said valve.

10. A gas generator comprising a. retort, a jet communicating with said retort and directed onto and along same, a deflector near the end of said retort, said deflector being adapted to deflect the flame produced by said jet away from said retort, a valve, and a jet communicating with said retort through said valve.

11. A gas generator comprising a tubular retort revolubly mounted, a gas dome m0unted on the retort, a jet on said dome directed along and onto said retort, a valve mounted on said dome, and gas jets communicating with said dome through said valve.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles, California, this 18th day of October, 1919..

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ROBERT A. STEPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

